(1). Field of the Invention
The present invention is related to the field for referencing a file in a network, more specifically, for extending the Windows.RTM. Object Linking and Embedding (OLE) functionality to transparently reference files residing in the Internet's World-Wide Web (WWW).
(2) Prior Art
World-Wide Web (WWW) is a fully multimedia-enabled hypertext system used for navigating the Internet. WWW may cope with any type of data which may be stored on computers, and may be used with an Internet connection and a WWW browser. WWW is made up of hundreds of thousands of interconnected pages or documents which can be displayed on a computer monitor. Each page can have connections to other pages which may be held on any computer connected to the Internet.
WWW is based on the concept of hypertext which is very similar to ordinary text, except that for hypertext, connections to other parts of the text or to other documents can be hidden behind words and phrases. The connections to these hypertext are referred to as hypertext links and they allow the user to read the document in any order desired. WWW also utilizes hypermedia which allows links to connect to not only words but also with pictures, sounds and any other data files which can be stored on a computer.
More specifically, hypermedia is a method for connecting data files together regardless of their format. The hypermedia links held on a given WWW page describes the location of the document which a WWW browser should display by using a Uniform Resource Locator (URL). URLs enable WWW browsers to go directly to any file held on any WWW server. URL is a naming system, typically consisting of three parts, the transfer format (also known as the protocol type), the host name of the machine which holds the file (may also be referred to as the WWW server name) and the path name to the file. The transfer format for standard WWW pages is Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP). Standard Internet naming conventions are utilized for the host name portion of the URL. UNIX.RTM. directory naming conventions are utilized to indicate the path name of the file.
A WWW browser may be used to send and receive data using HITP as well as to access all of the popular Internet resources directly and through gateways which can be reached through the WWW. More specifically, a WWW browser is a client software which may be run on a computer able to access different resources including USENET, FTP, Archie, etc. from one common user interface. Currently there are various different WWW browsers available. The most well known WWW browsers are Mosaic.RTM. and its progeny such as NETSCAPE NAVIGATOR(.RTM..
FIGS. 1a and 1b illustrate the prior art method and apparatus for accessing Internet's WVW using a conventional Web browser. PC 100 is one of the network of computers in WWW 102. PC 100 is a Web client and WWW 102 is a Web server. PC 100 has a conventional Web Browser running such as Mosaic 104 and its display device displays a text fragment 106 and picture 108. Picture 108 may be retrieved from WWW 102 through URL (Uniform Resource Locator) i.e. which is a special name enabling Web Browser 104 to go directly to any file held on any WWW server. Unfortunately, the prior art method and apparatus only allows the use of Mosaic.RTM. type applications (i.e. applications which allow a user to browse and to access the WWW 102). Any other applications such as Word for Windows.RTM. are not able to use a URL to directly access a file in WWW 102.
In FIG. 1b, PC 100 has CPU 110 coupled to memory 114. Memory 114 has Windows.RTM. 112 and Web Browser 104. Web Browser 104 retrieves data from WWW 102 using a URL. As was described earlier, the limitation of the conventional method and apparatus for accessing the Internet's WWW 102 is that only Mosaic.RTM. type applications are able to map a URL into WWW 102 to directly retrieve WWW documents and data.
It is therefore desirable to have a method and an apparatus which allow a broader scope of applications to access data in the WWW without having to alter the applications themselves.